Forces of Destiny (DISCONTINUED)
by xxTheTruMan196
Summary: A series of short stories/one-shots that span across the entirety of the Shaniverse at different points in time! Hope you guys enjoy. (SHANIVERSE SHORT STORIES)
1. Mara's Mercy Menu

_**3rd person POV... (Episode 1)**_

"Where's Mara?" Jarik asked.

"She and R5 are picking up a few things in the market," Ahsoka told him.

"You sent Mara off alone like that?" Jarik questioned with a skeptical look at her.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "I told you, R5 is with her. She'll be fine!"

"Exactly my point!" he retorted, waving his hands around. "I trust that droid with my life but he's a demented little menacing rust bucket!"

"To you maybe, but this is Mara. He wouldn't dare do anything," she said with a smirk. "Trust me, they'll be alright."

Jarik sighed in defeat. "Fine. But if they don't come back within the hour we're going looking for them."

"Duly noted," she agreed.

* * *

The small capitol Eladro City on the planet of Basteel was a little bit busier than usual today, which meant things were slightly tougher for R5 and Mara on their errand in the market, looking for some food items. And the astromech was complaining the whole way about it.

"' _Send me on a food run errand,' I have much better things to do!"_ he grumbled.

"Come on R5 it can't be too bad!" Mara said, trying to uplift his spirit… or processor. "Mom wants us to buy a few pieces of Akul meat for her. You know how a Togruta is carnivorous! And she likes Akul meat!"

" _Then why not get it herself? She killed an Akul before,"_ he retorted.

"Wait, really? That's so cool!" Mara said in amazement.

" _Forget I said anything then,"_ he replied. " _But how does she expect us to get anything? You're only ten years old!"_ he protested.

"So?" Mara questioned.

" _I know Master Jarik and Mistress Tano take care of you and keep you from the Empire and all that… but ten year olds don't exactly buy things on their in the galaxy!"_ R5 tried to explain.

"Then how about you buy it?" she suggested.

" _Even worse! They're not about to sell meat to some 'lowly astromech' no no no!"_ he said, a sense of irritation directed at that fact.

"Well… we'll figure something out! Just because people my age don't buy things doesn't mean they won't give it to me." Mara said confidently. "Dad always told me that the most dangerous weapon in the galaxy, is money," she said.

" _I wonder why,"_ R5 muttered.

"...So if I'm right, then people would accept the money I give them for what I need, even if they find me too young!" she continued proudly.

 _"Great,"_ R5 muttered.

The pair continued searching through the markets for a proper food stand, preferably one that sold Akul meat. If they're unable to find any then they'll just have to look for the next best thing. Luckily though, they do manage to find a stand that lists Akul meat on the menu, although it seems a little bit more pricey than they would have liked.

"Hey look R5, that stand has some!" Mara said, pointing to a nearby food vendor.

 _"Look at the price of that though!"_ R5 points out in frustration.

"Yeah..." Mara says with a frown. "That's the only place though. Besides I'm sure you or dad could figure out a way to get more credits right? You two are the slicers," she reminds him.

 _"Yeah, we are."_ R5 says in agreement, thinking about the fun he's had in past experiences of messing with other people using his skills in slicing.

They both head up to the vendor, and after counting up the credits, Mara places them on the counter. "One large package of Akul meat please," she asks hopefully.

The Besalisk salesman at the counter takes up the credits offered and gets the bag ready before noticing who was buying from him. "Aren't you a little young to be out and about like this missy?" he questions gruffly.

"Maybe, but my parents wanted me to get this quickly. Besides I have my droid here to help!" she says confidently, patting R5's dome. He beeps up in agreement.

"Hmph," he replies, placing the bag on the counter. "Well, here ya go kid."

Mara beams up happily at him. "Thank you sir!" she says, grabbing the bag and walking away, R5 right beside her as they head down a side-street as a short cut. "See? That wasn't so bad," she told the astromech.

 _"I guess Mistress Mara,"_ he replied simply.

Mara's good mood is suddenly cut off when she hears a commotion nearby. Turning her head, she peers down another alley to see a kid even younger than her backed into a corner by some teenage thug.

"R5, look!" she says, pointing to the confrontation.

He swivels his dome to look before turning back to her. _"So?"_ he asks.

"We should help that kid!" she says.

 _"Is that a good idea? What if we get into trouble!"_ he protests.

"Come on R5 you can't be this cruel! Mom and Dad would want to do the same thing," she complains with a frown. "I want to kick this guy's butt! If you want I'll let you shock him!"

R5 considers before giving in. _"Fine, but only because I've been dying to zap somebody lately. And if Master Jarik or Mistress Ahsoka find out you take all the blame!"_ he says.

"Great!" Mara says with a smile, rushing forwards to the commotion, where the teenager throws the kid on the ground violently, and he cries out in fear.

"You're such a wimp you little runt!" the teenager says rudely, towering over the obviously terrified kid.

"Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?!" Mara calls out, standing before them with her hands on her hips. R5 rolls up next to her, and the kid looks at her hopefully while the teenager looks over with a scoff.

"Well that certainly ain't you girly," he says in reply. "Now get out before I mess up you and your little tin-can."

R5 shakes violently in anger. _"Why that little..."_ he seethes quietly.

Mara grins. "I think you just upset R5," she says cheerfully.

As the teenager looks back over angrily, prepared to give the girl a piece of his mind, R5 rolls forwards faster than he was ready for, unleashing his electric prod and delivering a powerful zap. The teenager yelps in pain and shock, and Mara jumps forwards, smacking him on the head with the edge of her foot. He falls to the ground painfully, and R5 rolls forwards again, electrifying him quickly, and sending him unconscious, clothes slightly steaming.

"Oh that was fun," she says happily.

 _"That'll teach him to not call me a tin-can,"_ R5 beeps in satisfaction, putting away his electric prod.

"Thank you!" the smaller boy says happily.

"It was no problem," Mara replied proudly.

"Umm... could I have some food? I haven't had anything to eat for over a day," he says sadly. Mara can notice how petite he looks and develops a sad look on her face. She wants to give this kid some food... but her Mom also needs it too...

Eventually her kindness wins out, and she hands over a little more than half of the meat in the bag. "This is all I can give you," she says sadly.

Apparently it's enough to satisfy him, and he smiles gratefully at her. "Thank you thank you, thank you so much!" he says happily, scurrying off while devouring the food as quickly as possible, obvious very starved.

* * *

Jarik was starting to get really antsy, and even Ahsoka too for that matter. They were just about to consider searching for Mara when she and R5 run up to the ship from down the street.

"Mara! There you guys are," Ahsoka says in relief.

"What took you both so long?" Jarik asks with a raised eyebrow.

"We beat up some bully in the street!" Mara replied proudly.

"Wait, seriously?" he asked in surprise.

"Yup! Here you go Mom!" she says, handing over a bag of Akul meat to Ahsoka, who takes it with a small smile on her face. She checks inside of the bag, frowning slightly upon noticing how much was actually in there.

"Wow... why is it less than half full?" she asks.

R5 beeps out at Mara, and she clasps her hands together in front of her nervously, looking up at Ahsoka and Jarik.

"I... kind of gave some of it away to a kid... he was starving," she explained.

Instead of a scolding or punishment, Jarik and Ahsoka both smile at her in understanding.

"Then that's a good thing you did sweetie," she says.

"Really?" Mara asks with wide eyes.

"Yup! Plus, you also kicked a bully's butt apparently, so that counts to," Jarik. R5 beeps indignantly at him and he rolls his eyes. "Fine. You both kicked a bully's butt."

"Thanks Dad," she replies happily.

"Even if it doesn't benefit you, staying compassionate and caring is always a good trait to have. One good deed can go a long way in making the galaxy a whole lot brighter," Ahsoka advises, and Mara nods her head with a smile, taking in the advice.


	2. The Path Ahead

**_3rd person POV... (Episode 2)_**

In the swampy forests of Dagobah, Jedi Master Yoda stood still with his eyes closed, meditating as his lesson was still in effect. Nearby, R2-D2 gave off a few beeps and whistles, and then the sound of branches and leaves rustling overhead got his attention.

"Master Yoda! I think I got it!" Luke calls out excitedly. Yoda doesn't react except for the flicker of his ears twitching. "I think I-"

Whatever Luke was about to say was cut off as the branch he was standing on cracked, and he fell all the way to the ground with a startled cry, landing painfully on his back. R2 lets off a few beeps and Yoda sighs, walking forwards.

"No no. Concentrate you must," he says.

Luke rubs his head with a grimace before sighing dejectedly. "Ugh. I was concentrating. For a moment, I could see a path through the trees," he says, using his hands to emphasize.

"And then?" Yoda questions.

"And then? I... well, I didn't want you to miss it." Luke replies hesitantly.

"Miss it? Miss the branch, you did." Yoda points out in amusement. "Your mind, ahead of your body it was."

Luke gives off a defeated and frustrated sigh, standing up on his feet. "Alright. I'll go again," he says, stretching his arms.

"This time, go with you, I will." Yoda says, walking over to Luke's pack and belongings.

"Really?" Luke asks eagerly. "Oh, great! It'll be easier if I can follow you!"

"No. Not follow. Carry me, you will." Yoda replies, and then to Luke's bewilderment, starts climbing into his pack headfirst! "Come, come. Up we go now!" the old Jedi Master says, rather eagerly in amusement. His feet wave around in the air as he tries to correct himself.

"Carry you? Master Yoda, I can barely look out for myself up there." Luke says hesitantly, obviously unsure.

"Hmm? Then concentrate, you must!" Yoda replies, righting himself in the pack and looking out with wide eyes. "Or fall, we will. Worse for me than you, I think, Hmm?" he asks, seemingly unconcerned about the possible danger.

"I still don't know..." Luke says, still hesitant.

"Don't know do you? Hmm?" Yoda demands with narrowed eyes. "Many years before you, trained a young Jedi did I, yes! Look out for himself could he? No, but got better he did! Wonderful Jedi he became, yes!" the Jedi Master tells Luke. "Know not, you cannot!"

Luke considers before sighing, giving in to Yoda's words. He was the Master after all, and Ben told him that he was a great warrior, so he could still look out for himself... right?

* * *

"Which way should I go?" Luke asks, now standing on a high branch in the trees, with Master Yoda riding in his pack behind him.

"As in life, some paths are clear, some perilous. To step forward, walk the same path, your mind and body must," he instructs, and Luke nods along, although slightly confused.

"Now run!" Yoda says, and Luke takes off, running and leaping across the branches. He jumps to another tree and moves across the thick branch, but ducks quickly in surprise before an overhead branch could smack him and Yoda in the face, in a way that would be very painful.

"Unh! Sorry!" Luke quickly apologizes, and Yoda gazes back at him with narrowed eyes.

The branch that Luke was running on grows weaker, and suddenly cracks before he realizes it. He looks down in surprise before the branch breaks off completely, sending the two falling through the air. Both of them let off a few screams of surprise and worry, but Luke luckily manages to grab onto a passing branch a few feet thick, stopping the fall before they hit the ground.

"Aah!" he cries out, before pulling himself and Yoda back onto the branch safely, panting from the adrenaline. "I think that's enough for today."

Yoda gives off a disappointed sigh, shaking his head in disagreement. "Close your eyes." he tells Luke.

Luke widens his eyes in alarm and begins to protest. "Master, I-"

"Close them!" he snaps, and Luke does as he says, still unsure.

"Concern yourself not with what you see. Feel the Force around you. See inside the land, the trees, the branches. Feel the air." Yoda instructs. "Breathe."

Luke does so, taking in a deep breathe before exhaling, doing his best to focus on the Force around him like Master Yoda is telling him to.

"Now run!" Yoda orders, and Luke takes off again, however he has his eyes closed, with some... help from Master Yoda as well, who is holding his hands over his eyes. Listening to the Force, he allows it to help him sense the different surroundings of the forest, leaping from tree to tree and jumping across several large gaps, climbing up vines. He continues on eagerly, finding himself able to see a path much clearer, the Force helping to guide him ahead. Eventually, his path across the trees brings him back to the spot where he started, and he lands on the ground beside R2, opening his eyes with a look of excitement and disbelief. He glances back over his shoulder at Yoda.

"I could see the branches in my head. I could see a path!" he says happily.

"Hmm. Trust what you see, not what you think you see," the old master replies knowingly.

"I understand." Luke says with nod.

A small smile appears on Yoda's face. "Good. Now the vines, we shall climb. The trees, we shall jump. More difficult than before, yes."

"More trees?" Luke questions in exasperation.

"Many more. Many, many more." Yoda replies in amusement.

"Are we trying to get somewhere?" Luke asks again.

Yoda gives off a brief laugh of amusement. "Always, yes. Always," he responds rather cryptically.

"Alright," he replies, although a question has been nagging at his head. "Master Yoda, I know you've been teaching me about the Force and all of that, but is there any way I could also learn how to use a lightsaber?"

"Ha! Eager for battle are you?" Yoda exclaims.

"Well, it's just that Ben used one as well, and they are Jedi weapons right?" he asks for confirmation.

Yoda nods his head. "Yes yes, the weapon of a Jedi the lightsaber is. With the Force, a true ally it is. But a lightsaber teacher am I not!" he replies.

"Then, where will I learn that?" Luke asks with a frown.

Yoda hums thoughtfully. "Lessons from a student of mine, I have. A powerful Jedi he was, and Padawan to Obi-Wan, he was as well, yes!" he recalls fondly, a small smile on his face. "Show you lessons from him, I will."

Luke widens his eyes in surprise. "Wait, you said he was Obi-Wan's apprentice?!"

At Yoda's nod, he develops a nervous and unsure expression. "So... does that mean he's Darth Vader, like Ben told me?"

Yoda widens his eyes and quickly shakes his head. "No no, Darth Vader, he is not! Met him before, you have!" he says.

"I have?" Luke questions in bewilderment. "When?!"

"Answer later, I will." Yoda says. "Come come, the trees we will jump. The vines we will climb, follow your path we will!"

Luke wants to press for more answers but thinks better of it, giving off a defeated sigh. Master Yoda probably won't tell him until he chooses to, so he might as well go along with it.

"Ok master," he says, preparing himself for another attempt at tree jumping.


	3. A Surprising Imperial KO

_**3rd person POV... (Episode 3)**_

Fields of long brown grass with the occasional group of rocks or mountains stretched across the majority of Lothal's landscape, which were home to a variety of animals, the most common being a Loth-cat. The tall grass continued to wave peacefully in the breeze, undisturbed by anything. That is, until a young teenager's body rolled through the grass with a grunt. He got up, dusting himself off with a frustrated expression.

"Ezra, you did it again," Kanan said, arms crossed.

"Did what again?" he replied.

"Lose focus," Kanan says simply.

"You keep saying that, but I think I'm always focused on it! Kinda hard not too when you're being shot at," he retorted in annoyance.

Zeb chuckled in amusement along with Chopper, enjoying the moment. He could stay around and listen to this teaching method all day.

"You're focused on what would happen if you get hit. Not on deflecting them." Kanan pointed out.

Ezra sighed in exasperation. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Just give me the next volley," he replied quickly, activating Kanan's lightsaber in his hand yet again. He still had yet to build his own. This time it was Kanan's turn to sigh in aggravation.

"Alright, training time is over. Let's start this up later," he said firmly.

Everyone all groaned, but for different reasons. Zeb lowered his bow-rifle sadly. "i was looking forwards to shooting the kid more..." he mumbled. Chopper beeped in agreement.

"Why are we stopping?" Ezra demanded.

"Because you're being hotheaded right now. You can't focus," he responded.

Ezra growled quietly in irritation but relented, deactivating the lightsaber and tossing it back towards Kanan, who easily caught it in his hand. "Also, because we have to resupply at the city anyways. Now come on," he said, gesturing towards the Ghost, which was parked a few feet away.

"Fine," Ezra replied, and they all headed back into the ship.

* * *

About an hour and a half later, the Crew were lounging around the city streets, laying low to stay out of sight of the Imperial authorities. Hera and Kanan were handling most of the resupplying, with Zeb, Ezra and Sabine just moving along with them. Although Ezra decided to take his own detour, just for some alone time. He liked the Ghost Crew and all, but he still took opportunities to be by himself from time to time. Looking around the streets, with citizens minding their own business at their stalls, and the occasional patrol of stormtroopers, Ezra caught himself remembering his time as a street-rat here. It wasn't so long ago that he stole the shipment of food that Kanan and the others were in the middle of stealing. Who knew that would lead to becoming part of a group of rebels?

While remembering his past life on Lothal, he lost track of where he was going and accidentally bumped into someone. He moved to the side quickly. "Pardon me... sir..." he trailed off, nervously realizing who he had bumped into.

"Out of the way street-rat!" Commandant Aresko said sharply, glaring down at him. By his side was Grint, stuffing his face with food as usual, most likely bullied from the merchants. Two stormtroopers stood guard on either side of them. Adopting a sheepish smile, Ezra backed out of the way quickly.

"Sorry mister, it won't happen again, I promise," he apologized with a submissive bow of his head.

Aresko scoffed in distaste, brushing off his uniform on the spot Ezra bumped into him. "It better not," he warned.

Ezra smiled innocently as the group passed by them, making a face once he was behind them before continuing on. Probably best to get back to the rest of the group now. unfortunately for him, Aresko stopped and turned to eye him with an inquisitive gaze. "Wait a moment..." he said, stopping the troopers.

"What?" Grint asked dumbly.

He ignored him. "Guards, bring him here," he ordered.

Ezra stopped in surprise and turned around nervously as the two stormtroopers brought him over to them forcefully. "Hey uh, what's wrong? What'd I do?" he asked weakly.

Aresko narrowed his eyes at him, and Ezra stared back nervously, afraid that he would be recognized. even though these two were laughably incompetent at their job, they'd crossed paths plenty of times by now, especially when he infiltrated that academy. A few moments passed before Aresko widened his eyes.

"You're that Bridger kid!" he exclaimed. "Seize him!"

"Dang it!" Ezra yelled, wriggling out of the grip of the stormtroopers and leaping backwards. He quickly took aim with his slingshot and hit the stormtroopers in the helmet, causing them to topple over with a pained cry. Aresko and Grint attempted to pull out their blasters and shoot him, but he was already running away as fast as he could. The civilians around them all took cover with terrified screams.

"I need stormtroopers down here immediately! We have a fugitive on the loose!" Aresko yelled into his comlink.

"Oh great. I'll never hear the end of it now," Ezra said to himself in dread.

Ezra turned a corner and leaped over a few crates, slipping past civilians on the way, who gave startled cries of confusion, annoyance, and fright. He accidentally bumped into a stack of crates, causing them to topple over and spill the contents. The owner of those crates shook his fist at him angrily.

"Sorry!" he apologized, but still continued on his run. Glancing behind him, he saw three stormtroopers giving chase, and ducked around a corner. However behind that corner he ran right into two more troopers chatting next to speeder bikes. They stared each other down in surprise, before the troopers began to pull out their blasters. Thinking fast, Ezra raised his arm and slammed their heads with yellow energy, hitting them with enough bolts to stun them into unconsciousness.

"Now this might come in handy," Ezra said with a smirk, eyeing the speeder bikes.

However before he could hop on one of them, a thermal detonator was thrown right between them from an approaching stormtrooper. Ezra let out a cry of surprise and jumped away, just missing the explosion. Shaking his head, he got up and saw a patrol of troopers closing in. "Really?" he muttered in annoyance.

Panicking, he scrambled to his feet and ran away again. The chase continued on for several moments before Ezra turned around another corner. Unfortunately for him, this was a dead end. "Oh come on!" he complained.

He turned around to run away, but by that point the stormtroopers had already rounded the corner, leaving him trapped. they advanced forwards with their blasters raised, ready to fire. Ezra backed away nervously. Just then, Aresko and Grint walked up between them, a smug grin on their faces.

"Surrender yourself! You're outnumbered!" Aresko demanded.

"Hey, yo know, maybe this is all just a misunderstanding huh?" Ezra pleaded with an innocent smile.

"secure him," Aresko ordered another trooper. He complied and strode forwards, pulling out a pair of binders. Ezra scowled, about to raise his slingshot when the strangest thing happened.

From the roof above them, a young girl with red hair a couple of years younger than Ezra, in a black outfit with no sleeves flipped down, striking the approaching stormtrooper with her fist as she landed. He collapsed to the ground with a pained grunt, stunned, and she wasted no time leaping in to action. Before the Imperials could react, she jumped forwards and kicked a trooper in the face, using his head as a springboard to roundhouse kick another. Grint backed away fearfully, but the young girl slammed her fist into his face, spinning him around before he fell to the ground groaning. She picked up his food basket and threw it at another stormtrooper, the force of the throw surprisingly managing to knock him harshly onto his back, before rolling underneath a red laser bolt. She rushed towards the offending stormtrooper and jumped over his head, grabbing him in a headlock and pulling him to the ground.

Aresko's eyes were wide in shock and fear, and he started to run away, prompting Ezra to recover from his surprise. Running forwards, he easily caught up to the officer and shoved him to the ground, aiming his slingshot at his head. "Ah ah ah," he chastised.

A stormtrooper's blaster slid across the ground next to them, and they both looked over to see the young girl approaching with a grin on her face, all of the stormtroopers sprawled on the ground, a few of them groaning in pain.

"That was fun!" she said cheerfully, as if she hadn't just taken on a bunch of Imperial soldiers.

"I... gotta admit I was not expecting that." Ezra admitted.

"Well that's because you weren't supposed to," the girl retorted with a wide smile, frowning down at Aresko. "Ugh, what a freak."

"Please, let me go, I-I'll give you anything you wish," he pleaded.

The girl rolled her eyes in disgust. "Oh please shut up," she said, raising a small blaster pistol and shooting a beam of blue energy at him. He cried out in shock before going limp. Ezra eyed her incredulously.

"Woah!" he exclaimed in shock.

"What?" she asked casually.

"Y-you just shot him!" Ezra exclaimed in disbelief.

"Hmm hmm," she replied. "So what?"

"You can't just kill people like that!" he protested with a glare.

"Oh relax dude, it was a stun blast," she retorted.

As if on cue, Aresko let out a low groan, shifting slightly. The girl pointed to him as if an example. "See?"

"Ok... I guess I overreacted," Ezra admitted. He looked around the street, taking note of all of the stormtroopers groaning in pain, bewildered by how such a young girl could do so much damage. "How did you manage..." he started to say, turning around to face her again.

However the girl was long gone, disappearing without a trace. He rushed out of the street and looked both ways, but could not find her anywhere.

"What..." he whispered in confusion.

His comlink then went off, causing him to jump slightly in surprise, and he gained a nervous expression. He answered it to be met by the angry voice of Kanan.

 _"Spectre 6, where are you?"_ he demanded.

"Oh, hey! I uh... I got a little sidetracked," he replied sheepishly.

 _"Sidetracked by what?"_ Kanan asked suspiciously.

Ezra glanced down the street again, before heading back in the direction of the Crew. "You might not believe it..." he trailed off.

* * *

Up above, Mara watched him go from the roof with curious expression on her face. She knew exactly who he was of course, being the Padawan to Kanan on the Ghost Crew, and decided to help out. Her quick visit to Lothal was just to pick up some more supplies before she would be heading back to Ahch-To again. Grinning to herself, she stood up and leaped over the side of the house, headed towards the ship.


	4. Snippy Adventure

_**3rd person POV... (Episode 4)**_

In the Room of a Thousand Fountains, Jarik sat on one of the simple wooden chairs station there, leaning against the backrest while watching the nearby river flow gently down the creek. It was a place he usually went to in order to find a sense of peace and quiet, or when he had some of his own free time. The natural beauty of nature was a wonderful escape from the chaos that was Coruscant and the war.

A few birds chirped, and he looked up to see a pair of them in their nest in a nearby tree before flying away. Then a figured entered his vision and he looked over to see Ahsoka standing over him.

"So this is where you've been?" she asks.

He nods his head. "Yeah. Does Master Kenobi need me or something?"

"No," she answers, crossing her arms. "I was just looking for you."

"Really?" he asks, raising an eyebrow before glancing around. "Well, I would pull up a chair for you but... there's nothing else here. This is kind of my alone place," he finished with a shrug.

She shrugs in reply... "Well in that case," ... before moving closer and then sitting in Jarik's lap, leaning back to make herself comfortable, much to his surprise.

"Wh- Ahsoka!" he complained.

"What's wrong?" she asked innocently.

"You're sitting on me is what's wrong," he replied sarcastically.

"I know. So?" she retorted.

He rolled his eyes in response and sighed, pouting in his seat while she continued to situate himself on his lap. She smriked the whole time, well aware of how uncomfortable he was feeling.

"I don't hear you telling me to get off," she said.

"Yeah, it was kind of implied. Heavily," he replied.

"Really?" she feigned confusion. "I didn't notice."

Knowing she wouldn't budge unless she wanted to, Jarik didn't even try to get her off. She'd fight him back to keep her spot, which was something he felt would just be a waste of time. She then maneuvered herself sideways so that her legs were draped across the side of the chair, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning against him.

"You're doing this to make me uncomfortable," Jarik stated.

"Yup. Mentally at least," she responded cheekily.

He raised an eyebrow at her in reply. "Are you suggesting something here? It sounds like you are," he accused.

"Well am I wrong?" she challenged, a triumphant grin on her face.

He glanced away thoughtfully for a second before sighing. "Well in that case..." he said, suddenly wrapping his arms around her midsection. He pulled her in close quickly, squeezing slightly and causing her to give a girlish yelp, and he snickered in amusement.

"Jarik!" she exclaimed.

"Oh now you're complaining?" he challenged, grinning at her victoriously, knowing she was trapped by his question. She stared at him with a deadpanned expression.

"You're impossible."

"Could say the same about you," he replied cheekily. "This is funnier than when you fell asleep lying against me on the couch."

She shrugged. "You still have a higher score of embarrassing things than I do, so I still win long-term."

Jarik scoffed. "Yeah right," he retorted.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Remember that one time when you and Weron tried pulling that prank on me and Rylla?" she said.

Jarik's face went slightly pale and he glanced away in embarrassment. "Point taken," he sighed.

Ahsoka grinned at him victoriously, and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Alright, now carry me back to my room!" she ordered.

"No," was his immediate response.

"Come on Jarik," she pressed.

"Sitting on me while I'm surrounded by trees is one thing. Carrying you through the halls of the Temple is another, which I will not do," he said firmly.

"Oh come on, you don't think it would be funny? To see the looks on everyone's faces?" she asked with a grin.

He shrugged. "Maybe, but I would still hate it ."

"Oh don't be like that, you'd love it!" she exclaimed.

"It'd be humiliating."

"Oh you think so huh?"

"Yes I do."

"We're doing it," she decided confidently.

Jarik rolled his eyes. "I am not carrying you through the Temple Halls."

* * *

Later on that day, Jarik was headed through the hallways with Obi-Wan towards their next training session when Anakin rushed up to join them.

"Sorry we're a little late," he apologized.

"Oh, how nice of you to be closer on schedule," Obi-Wan replied.

"Wait, did you say 'we?'" Jarik asked in confusion, not seeing Ahsoka nearby.

Out of nowhere, Ahsoka suddenly jumped on Jarik's back, making him stumble before catching himself, startled and bewildered by what happened. Anakin and Obi-Wan also stare in surprise, although the former just rolls his eyes in amusement.

"Ha!" Ahsoka said victoriously, wrapping her arms and legs around him.

"Are you kidding me? Why?" Jarik complained.

"Because it's fun!" she responded cheekily. "We're allowed to have fun right?"

"Definitely allowed to," Anakin says with a smirk, crossing his arms. Obi-Wan sighs in exasperation, although there is a hint of a smile on his face.

"Sure, fine whatever. But how about a different kind of fun, instead of the 'using-your-friend-as-a-transport' fun," Jarik protests, having to hold Ahsoka's legs and hoist her up so that neither of them fall.

She thinks mockingly for a moment before shrugging. "No, I like this kind of fun."

"A little help Master?" Jarik pleads hopefully, looking between Obi-Wan and Anakin. The two Jedi share a look for a few moments before replying with an answer that leaves Jarik appalled.

"I believe you two can sort out your differences when we arrive at the training room," Obi-Wan says with a small smile.

"Have fun you two!" Anakin says, waving his hand as he and Obi-Wan continue walking.

"What? Master, come on!" Jarik exclaims in disbelief.

"Looks like you're carrying me through the Temple Halls, like we discussed earlier, right?" Ahsoka says with a smug smirk on her face.

Jarik sighs irritably but trudges forwards with Ahsoka on her back, doing his best to catch up to Obi-Wan and Anakin. Along the way, most passing Jedi either give them a disapproving or bewildered glance, much to his embarrassment. Ahsoka just lays her head on his shoulder, one of her lekku spilling in front of him with a grin on her face.

She keeps her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs tightly around his waist to keep herself aloft, continuing to enjoy the free ride from her reluctant friend. Being snippy all the time had its perks.


	5. A Tough Compromise

_**3rd person POV... (Episode 5)**_

Being a bounty hunter was a hard life. This was something Rylla could attest to in a heartbeat, and she would stand by that claim.

Oh it had its perks. No rules, you could choose what job you wanted to do, and go wherever she wanted.

The negatives involve the fact that bounty hunters usually have to go against the law to do their jobs, and they make lots of enemies, more than most people. And trusting someone? Forget it. You'd get killed by doing that. It was something she had learned the hard way.

"So, what kind of job you gonna choose next?" Hayden asks beside her.

Rylla rolls her eyes. That was also a disadvantage. Hayden was annoying.

"I don't know yet," she grumbled.

"Come on, there's loads to choose from! Retrieval's, protecting cargo, assassinations-" he started to say.

Rylla whirled around to glare at him. "You know I'm never doing that!" she hissed.

Hayden however didn't flinched, merely rolled his eyes. "Oh right, you grew up as a-"

"Shh!" Rylla shushed, glancing around warily and pushing Hayden down a side street, where they weren't in such a crowded area. "Don't say that out loud! You know what would happen if people knew what I was?!"

"Alright, fair enough, I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely, and Rylla accepted it with satisfaction and a hint of gratitude.

"But seriously, this is Jedha! There's loads of stuff to do here!" Hayden added.

Rylla sighed in exasperation and annoyance. "I swear I feel like throwing you at a gang of thugs and just leaving you there."

Hayden gave her a cocky grin. "Oh you won't do that! I'm an awesome mechanic, plus I can fly a ship fantastically. You need me."

"Yes I do," she huff reluctantly. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"If you didn't enjoy the company you'd have beaten me to a pulp right now," he retorted.

"Alright fine, I'll find us another bounty on this rock." Rylla finally relents.

"Splendid!" Hayden says cheerfully.

* * *

A few hours later, the pair had managed to find a job guarding a freighter full of food and supplies heading out of the system. They were both seated in the small two person shuttle Hayden had won from a gambling bet, with him in the pilot's seat while Rylla controlled the guns.

Hayden grumbled in the seat, not liking this job Rylla picked out.

"This is not what I had in mind when I wanted another bounty," he said in displeasure.

"Oh get over it, this'll be fine," Rylla replied. "This job pays well enough, and there have been lots of attacks against it for some time."

"But we're just waiting. It's boring," he complained.

"Well that's your problem," she retorted.

The freighter continued moving away from orbit, ready to jump to hyperspace, and they prepared to follow them. However, before the ship could make the jump, a small squad of smaller, but fast ships suddenly appeared out of hyperspace, and zoomed towards it, firing laser bolts.

"Enemy contact!" Rylla exclaimed in alarm.

"Oh I see them," Hayden said with a small grin, zooming the shuttle towards the attackers. Rylla aimed her guns and fired back.

The cargo freighter had taken some damage by the time Rylla and Hayden joined the action, and the invading ships were forced to break off their run to avoid them. One ship then targeted them, trying to blow them away.

"What was that you said about boring?" Rylla asked.

"Shut up!" Hayden responded angrily.

While they were distracted, the rest of the ships continued disabling the transport, while one attached itself to the hull in an attempt to board it. Hayden continued flying the shuttle around, avoiding their pursuers attacks.

"They're boarding the freighter!" Rylla said in alarm.

"What am I supposed to do?" Hayden demanded.

"Dock!" she said back.

Grumbling, Hayden then flipped the shuttle around, allowing Rylla to open fire and destroy the ship. He then flew towards the freighter, and connected to the docking bay.

"Better hurry up before I get blasted!" Hayden said quickly.

Moving fast, Rylla leaped from her seat and rushed to the door, opening it and entering the freighter. It closed right after her, and there was a clunking sound as the ship detached. Pulling out her blaster, Rylla moved cautiously through the ship, looking for signs of the pirates.

 _"Get those supplies detached quickly!"_ a voice ordered. There was a muffled reply, and Rylla narrowed her eyes.

Glancing around a corner, she saw a group of four pirates huddled around a console, which controlled the magnetic for the supply crate. The one who seemed to be in charge was dark skinned, mostly bald but with graying hair, wearing gray colored armor pieces.

Rylla then leaped into action, turning around the corner and firing her blaster. She hit one of the pirates in the shoulder, and he cried out in pain, drawing the others attention. She finished him off with another shot to the chest, although reluctantly. She had learned long ago that killing people was sometimes necessary to survive with her tough life.

The leader whipped out his blaster and fired back at her, the others following. She had to take cover, hiding behind a few crates. Peeking out, she fired again, hitting another pirate, this time in the leg.

"You can't win Imperial scum!" the leader roared, firing again.

Only her force sensitivity kept her from being shot through the head in time as she pulled back. She made a face.

"Who said I was Imperial?!" she retorted.

Rylla then rolled out of her cover and fired a few more shots. Some missed, but she managed to put the henchmen out of commission. What she wasn't prepared for was the leader to yell angrily and charge at her, slamming her onto her back.

She gasped in pain and surprise, and the pirate punched her in the head. Recovering, she brought her legs up and kicked him away, trying to get to her feet. However he was tough, and grabbed her by the arm before swinging her against the wall. He raised his blaster at her head.

"You Imperials are all the same, heartless, witless and arrogant cowards!" he spat hatefully.

"I'm not Imperial!" she growled out, wincing. "And that's a lot coming from a selfish pirate like you!"

"Selfish?" he exclaimed. "I'm fighting for freedom! For the galaxy, and we will defeat the Empire!"

"Stealing supplies from innocent civilians doesn't sound like freedom," she retorted.

"What would you know?" he growled. "Some lowly person like you? I fought the Separatists for Onderon to free us, and our payment is Imperial occupation!"

Something about that struck something in Rylla, remembering a mission an old friend once went on, but she ignored it. "If you steal this cargo, then starving families oppressed by the Empire will die!"

He stalled for a moment, before narrowing his eyes. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"A bounty hunter with morals," she replied.

He chuckled witnout humor. "No such thing."

"Coming from a pirate," she retorted.

" _Rebel_ fighter," he corrected with a glare. "Named Saw. And I need those supplies for my men!"

"Starving citizens need those more than your stupid band of pirates! I don't care if you think you're rebels, you're taking the food of innocents!" she argued back angrily.

Saw stared at her with a fierce glare, but slowly lowered his blaster. "Then we compromise," he growled. "I take half."

"My job is to protect all of it."

"Half!" he yelled. "Or I kill you, and take all of it!"

The two stared at each other, tension high. Rylla was angry, but she didn't have much choice, unless she wanted to expose her Force powers, which was not happening.

"Fine then," she growled.

* * *

Despite the tense situation, the two supposed enemies managed to come to an agreement, and Saw called off his men from attacking. They took half the supplies, and he had taken a good look at Rylla before leaving. Something in her gaze had caught his attention, and he recognized that look from friends he had, long ago. It was enough for him to go along with his compromise.

He also saw her point, and after some checking, this shipment was meant to go to starving citizens. He hated all Imperials, but there were some who didn't deserve to be punished, especially starving ones. Even he saw that.

He decided to take this idea to heart, despite his ways, which were labeled _'extreme.'_


	6. Crime in the Casino

_**3rd person POV... (Episode 6)**_

Jarik lay sprawled across a couch in his quarters. His feet were propped up on the arm rest, and his head lay flat on the other end of the couch. A datapad was in his hand, and he was reading a small book from it, occasionally tapping the screen a couple of times. The door to his quarters then opened up to reveal Ahsoka walking in, headed over in his direction. She stopped in front of him, hands on her hips with a raised eyebrow. He glanced at her before returning to his book.

"Hey Jarik," she greeted.

"Hi," he said.

"Can you move over please? I want to sit down," she asked.

"No," came the immediate reply.

She frowned at him and rolled her eyes. "Why not?"

"Because this is my room, and I like this position, it's comfortable."

"Your arms aren't aching from holding that thing up?" she pointed out.

He shrugged. "Maybe, but that's not the point."

She pursed her lips with a frown before her eyes lit up, and she grinned softly to herself. Jarik was too deep into his reading to notice the expression on her face. Ahsoka then stepped forwards, grabbing Jarik's shoulders and pushing him up into a sitting position. He looked up from his book with wide eyes.

"The kriff?" he questioned.

She then sat down where he was previously, and let go of Jarik, allowing his head to fall into her lap. She leaned against the back pillows of the couch, glancing down at him. He returned the look with a flat expression.

"Why do you do this to me?" he asked dryly.

"Because you didn't want to move, and I wanted to sit down," she replied.

He rolls his eyes and sighs in exasperation, but otherwise goes back to his book. She softly strokes a hand through his hair, humming to herself while Jarik grumbles internally, feeling like he was being babied. Just then, Anakin and Obi-Wan both walked through the door, conversing about something with each other.

"...sure they can handle it," Anakin finishes, before they took notice of their padawans. "Are we interrupting something?"

"Hello masters." Ahsoka greeted.

"This was her idea," Jarik said simply, not bothering to explain further.

Obi-Wan shakes his head in exasperation. "Always you two," he mutters to himself.

Anakin crosses his arms with a grin. "Well, this pretty much convinces me."

"Convinced you? About what?" Ahsoka questioned.

"About your next assignment," he replies.

Jarik lowered his book and gave the two a confused and bewildered look. "Ahsoka sitting down in my room and laying my head in her lap convinced you about her next assignment?"

"Actually, you're included as well." Obi-Wan says.

"What's the mission?" Ahsoka asked.

Obi-Wan and Anakin share a look, and the amount of mischief and amusement shown in their gaze had the two padawans worrried.

ooo00ooo

"I can't believe this," Ahsoka grumbled angrily.

The two were in their ship, headed for the planet Cantonica. They were going to be infiltrating the casinos of Canto Bite in order to find some wealthy criminal named Ballick that had gotten off with Republic secrets. He was planning to sell them to a Separatist dealer for even more money at one of the casinos, and it was their job to apprehend him to keep the intel from getting into the wrong hands.

The trick was, they had to dress up for the occasion. Wearing their usual Jedi outfits would only draw attention, and Ballick would be off before they could catch him. So, Jarik was dressed up in a simple, but fancy white suit with black highlights running down it, on the wrists and collar. His braid was hidden by a simple slicked back hairdo. Meanwhile, Ahsoka was wearing a white dress that went down to mid-calf, and had only one loose strap around her right shoulder. She was also wearing white gloves, and had replaced her Akul headdress with a silvery colored one.

"I mean, dressing up this fancy?! Seriously?" Ahsoka complained, tugging at her outfit uncomfortably.

Jarik shrugged from where he was sitting in the pilot's seat. "Well, I suppose it isn't that bad."

She scoffed. "Easy for you to say! A suit is not that much different from robes."

In the back of the shuttle, R5 let out a humorous laugh, and Ahsoka glared at him. "Don't make me dismantle you," she threatened.

The ship came out of hyperspace, and they flew down to the surface, headed for Canto Bite. After getting the proper parking pass thanks to Jarik, they landed and then exit the shuttle, walking down the ramp. R5 trailed along behind them, a fake restraining bolt fastened to his chassis. Ahsoka had her arm looped around Jarik, plastering her best smile, although it killed her to do so.

 _"You look like a princess,"_ Jarik commented.

 _"Shut up,"_ she responded angrily.

ooo00ooo

The trio soon found the casino the criminal would be making the trade off, a large building in the center of the city. They entered, looking around to see large crowds of many different species gathered around tables and game machines, all laughing or playing their games, conversing with each other. It seemed like a fun happy place, but Jarik and Ahsoka could sense the greed of all the people present, making them grimace.

"I already hate this place," Jarik commented, and Ahsoka nodded in agreement. R5 also added a couple of agreeable beeps.

"Let's just find this guys and get out of here," Ahsoka whispered back.

They walked through the casino together, R5 trailing after them, and offered polite smiles to people who passed, keeping an eye out for their target. Along the way however, they were confronted by a couple of guys wearing ridiculously expensive suits, smiling at them in a charming manner.

"May we assist you with anything? Perhaps join the crowd for a dance?" the man in the lead asks, gesturing towards one end of the casino, where music was playing, lots of people dancing with each other.

"Oh, no thanks we're good." Ahsoka said quickly.

"Oh no, we insist!" he exclaims cheerfully, pushing them along. "A fabulous young couple like yourselves should enjoy a moment such as this!"

The men started to push them towards the dance group, and they reluctantly allowed themselves to be led along, glancing at each other helplessly. R5 grumbled behind them. The two were then shoved into the dancing crowd, the men moving back to play more music with the rest of the band.

 _"Just great!"_ Ahsoka said angrily.

 _"I hate these people,"_ Jarik replied in agreement, grumbling in annoyance. _"Whatever. Just keep an eye out while we do this."_

 _"Fine,"_ she says.

Slowly, the two hesitantly shifted into a better dancing position, and tried their best to move along with the music. They had classes that involved some form of dancing as younglings, but those were Temple lessons, and were mainly to improve their gymnastics. Jarik rested his hands on her waist, and she put her arms around his neck, moving along and twirling to the beat, attempting to go along with what the majority were doing.

Ahsoka giggled slightly, but it was obviously hollow. "Ahh... kill me now," she mumbled.

"Oh don't worry about it," he replied, rolling his eyes.

This continued for several minutes, and despite being very uncomfortable, part of them both sort of liked the closeness, although neither would admit it. Just then, R5's beeping caught their attention, and he was gesturing to the side. There, they saw the man they were looking for, leaning against a game table and chattering with some others.

"Bingo," Jarik said with a grin.

"Finally," Ahsoka sighed in relief.

Ballick glanced over casually, before noticing the two's gaze. They both quickly looked away and acted normal, Jarik even twirling Ahsoka around for good measure, but the damage was done. Both soon sensed his thugs start to discretely move around them, while Ballick moved to another area. Jarik and Ahsoka both glanced at the approaching thugs from the corner of their eyes, and shifted their dance discretely towards the edge of the crowd, keeping calm. Eventually, they reached the edge, and into a free spot.

 _"I'm so over this,"_ Ahsoka said.

Then without warning, she twirled around and leapt at one of the thugs, kicking him in the face. Jarik rushed towards another, sidestepping a jab and retaliating with a punch. The people all gathered in the area all screamed in shock and alarm, quickly backing away while the rest of the thugs closed in. Ahsoka ducked underneath one man's arm, grabbing it before throwing him to the ground, and then roundhouse kicked another. Jarik grabbed one thugs head and brought his knee to the face, shoving him away and blocking another thug's jab, punching him in the gut.

While they fought off the thugs, party-goers were screaming, and police forces were entering the casino to their position. The sound of a blaster went off, causing even more panic as a thug attempted to shoot Jarik. Luckily he leaned his head to the side and jumped towards him, tackling the man to the ground and slamming his head into the floor. Ballick had moved discretely during the chaos, attempting to aim his blaster at him. Fortunately, Ahsoka saw this and went into action, dashing forwards and kicking him in the leg. He feel to one knee with a pained cry before Ahsoka elbowed him in the face, grabbing him from behind in a headlock, blaster falling to the ground.

Jarik slammed on thugs head into a game table, causing game pieces and money to scatter before whipping around at a yell. He was too slow, and another thug whacked him in the head with a heavy case, causing him to stumble. He groaned in pain, shaking his head and then kicked the thug to the ground when he tried to approach again.

He stumbled over to Ahsoka; who was attempting to restrain Ballick, feeling light headed from the hit to his skull. Security forces then surrounded the three of them, blasters raised.

"Get these freaks off of me!" Ballick yells out angrily, struggling to get free.

"You two, release him and get on the ground! You're under arrest for assault!" one officer exclaims.

Ahsoka then slips out her lightsaber from a hidden pocket and activates the green blade, holding it in front of her and Ballick. Everyone gasps and widened their eyes in shock, and Jarik shook his head to clear himself, also slipping his blade out an activating it. The securty forces lowered their blasters slightly, surprised and hesitant on what to do.

"This man has stolen Republic intel, and is to be brought in for trial and punishment," Ahsoka told them firmly.

"He was going to... to sell that intel to the Separatists." Jarik added, struggling slightly from the head injury.

"They're lying! Arrest them!" Ballick exclaimed angrily and desperately, panicking.

Unfortunately for him though, the police force, while being neutral in the war along with the rest of the planet, were more willing to trust the word of a Jedi, and were also afraid of what they might do if they refused them.

"Very well. Let them go," the captain ordered, although with wariness.

"Thank you," Ahsoka said gratefully with a brief nod, and the pair moved towards the exit with R5 following, Ballick in tow.

"You're making the wrong choice! I'm innocent!" Ballick wails desperately.

"Tell that to the Republic courts," Jarik commented.

ooo00ooo

 _"You have Ballick in custody?"_ Obi-Wan asks over the hologram.

"Yes Master. He... he's not going anywhere," Jarik replied.

Obi-Wan frowns at him. _"You seem to have gotten a head injury,"_ he says, noticing Jarik's eyes flickering and his slight difficulty with speech.

"Mm'fine," he replies. Ahsoka stares at him incredulously.

 _"Clearly,"_ Obi-Wan says sarcastically before sighing. _"Watch over him Ahsoka."_

"Of course Master Kenobi," she replies, before the transmission ends.

"What're you guys so... worried about? Mm'fine!" Jarik protests.

"Not with that head injury." Ahsoka points out with a frown.

"You worry too much," he says defensively, standing up and attempting to move towards the other end of the ship, although stumbling forwards. Ahsoka moves quickly to catch him before he falls, glaring at him.

"Okay that's it, sit back down hot-shot," she says sternly.

He attempts to wave her off. "Mm'fine," he protests, but she isn't having it.

"I don't think so. You can barely walk." Ahsoka tells him, and helps him to sit down on the floor, back against the wall, and she sits down with him.

"What about Ballick...?" he argues.

"R5 can handle him," she replies, laying him down across her lap and stroking his hair absentmindedly. "You on the other hand can't handle a thing in your current state."

"Mother hen," he grumbles quietly.

Ahsoka looks up at the ceiling with an exasperated sigh. _"Kriffing Jarik..."_ she thinks to herself in exasperation.


	7. Fear vs Intimacy

**_3rd person POV... (Episode 7)_**

 _There was darkness, and she was afraid._

 _"No. No!" she cries out._

 _A lightsaber slashes, and she heard cold breathing._

* * *

Ahsoka shot up from bed wide awake with a gasp, breathing heavily. Jarik was startled from his sleep beside her and sits up as well, scooting closer to her with worry in his eyes.

"Ahsoka?" he asks in concern. "Are you alright?"

"Better now Jarik, it was just a bad dream," she replies, calming herself down. "Thanks for asking."

"You sure?" he asks with a hint of doubt. "Because it's rarely a bad dream for me."

"I'm sure," she replies with a reassuring smile. "Just a bad dream about the Clone War."

He gazes at me sympathetically. "I get what you mean. Well, I'm here for you incase you'd like to talk about them," he offers, letting out a tired yawn and lying down again. "Good night."

"Good night," she responds.

Ahsoka laid back down beside him, taking comfort in the familiar presence that radiates off of him and across their bond. Yet as he was drifting off to sleep, she still couldn't help but feel uneasy about her nightmare, because Jarik was right in how it wasn't a simple bad dream.

She was still having some vivid nightmares every so often from her experiences in the Clone War, Order 66, and her time in hiding. Yet she couldn't bring herself to tell him about the nightmare that housed her worst fear of all. Sighing, she lay her head back on the pillow and tried drifting off too sleep.

* * *

Jarik walked out of his room and headed for the common room area, which he had fitted with a kitchenesque like area along the far wall. Not long after first getting the Knight Hawk, he fitted it with different areas inside to make it better for a living area since he knew he'd be traveling around all the time, with the help of R5. And the small kitchenette was one of those things. Yawning tiredly, he entered the common room before stopping in surprise at what he saw.

Ahsoka was already in there, cooking some eggs on the small, but usable, burner with cheerful grace. She looks over at Jarik and smiles at him happily.

"Good morning Little Jari!" she greets.

"Good morning...?" he replies hesitantly, still in a state of bewilderment.

"I cooked us both some breakfast!" she continues. "Yours is already on the table, so you can sit down."

He looks over to the table to see that there was indeed a plate of eggs on the table, along with some fruit, a piece of bread and a glass of blue milk. Still a little dumbfounded, Jarik just sits down at the table, and Ahsoka brings her own food over a moment later.

"I didn't know you cooked," he remarks.

"Well, I had to learn it when I was on my own," she says with a careless shrug. "Better than feeding on those ration bars, which is what you've been doing apparently."

Jarik looks at her with a raised eyebrow before scoffing in amusement, just accepting it. Not to mention he could definitely agree with the whole thing about ration bars.

"Alright," he says.

She moves over to his side and gives him a side hug, planting a quick kiss on his cheek.

"I did it all just for you!" she says, walking back over to her chair and sitting down. Jarik stares at her in bewilderment again, furrowing his brow and thinking something was up.

"Force knows you need to eat real food, desperately," she adds, taking a bite out of her eggs.

"Are you saying I'm skinny?" he asks with narrowed eyes.

"No!" she scoffs in response. "Well, maybe, but you need to grow taller!"

He rolls his eyes at her snarky response. "I think my growth is going well thank you."

"I think you should be growing to taller than six feet," she retorts, narrowing her eyes at him. "Now are you gonna eat your eggs, or should I just take them and leave you with the fruit?"

"Yes ma'am," he replies sarcastically, but with a smile he starts eating as well.

* * *

Mentally exhausted from the work he had to do in order to properly set up the Fulcrum Agency, Jarik was sitting against the wall in his room, attempting to recollect himself. He'd been typing hundreds of programs, several firewalls, and a few others things all day to keep the Agency secret, but there was still so much to do.

"Oh man..." he mutters to himself.

The door to the room then opens, and Ahsoka walks inside. She takes notice of him sitting against the wall tiredly and frowns in concern, sitting down beside him.

"Hey, you alright?" she asks worriedly.

"Yeah," he sighs in response. "It's just that creating an intelligence network is not as easy as it sounds."

"How much have you done?" she asks.

"Well, I've spent all day inputting several hundred programs, but I still need hundreds more-" he starts to explain.

"What?" she asks, alarmed. "You've been doing all of that?!"

"It's busy work," he shrugs in response, moving to get up. "I just need to do a little bit more and then call it a day."

"No you're not, you can't do that right now!" she retorts, preventing him from standing. "You need to rest."

"The rebels need an intelligence agency," he protests in response.

Jarik attempts to get up again, but Ahsoka goes full mother-hen mode and forcefully pushes him back with her hands on his shoulders. She glares at him, but it was a glare containing a hint of worry and hidden fear, which almost made him think that something was up. If he wasn't so brain dead from all of the coding he would've caught on faster.

"No way, you look exhausted!" she exclaims, partially panicking. "You have to get some rest!"

"But the intel-" he starts.

"Why can't you let R5 handle some of that? He can go on until he's out of power!" she tells him.

"I- I guess," he mutters in agreement.

"You need rest right now Jarik," she says almost order-like, and he gives a slight eye roll of exasperation. "I'm making sure of that."

"Fine, fine," he gives in. "I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Good. Now lean back," she says, beginning to guide him.

"I thought you wanted me to rest?" he questions with a raised eyebrow. "Like, in bed or something?"

"Oh no, I'm keeping an eye on you so you don't try and sneak off to do more crap," she says firmly.

"How trusting you are," he replies sarcastically.

"In your case, I just can't take any chances," she retorts, spreading out her legs. "Now lean back already!"

"Alright, if you say so missy," he replies, giving in to her demands.

He shifts his position on the ground and then allows Ahsoka to lie him down in her lap. She then lifts one leg over his chest and hooks it behind her other leg's knee to keep him gently pinned, paranoid that he might try and get up. She leans against the wall herself and begins stroking her fingers through his hair while humming a quiet lullaby. She wiggles her hips to help make them both more comfortable, and he can't help but roll his eyes, smiling softly in amusement at how much of a mama bear she is being with him.

"Comfy down there?" she asks him.

"Ok, I admit this is nice," he replies, blushing a little. In embarrassment or at her playfulness, he wasn't sure. "You're making me feel like a baby though."

"That's because you are one," she says snarkily, and he grumbles in response.

"And you say I'm immature sometimes," he mutters.

"Hey, you have plenty of ridiculous moments," she retorts.

"Is that why you think I'd try and leave without you noticing?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup. But now I know you can't while you're trapped!" she says cheekily.

"Baby," Jarik mutters to himself, but she heard him.

"Maybe I should just knock you out right now to help you sleep?" she suggests, lightly clenching her thighs around his neck in warning

"Woah woah, how about not?" he hastily replies. "Besides, this is about as intimate as I'd be comfortable with considering our upbringing."

"Yeah, you do have a point," she replies in agreement, relaxing her leg muscles.

She then changes her voice to sound like a familiar Jedi Grand Master they both knew well, and raises a finger.

"Foolish, holonet teenagers are! Act like them you must not!" she says, imitating Master Yoda.

The two eighteen year old friends both snickered in amusement at the visual image of Master Yoda attempting to lecture a bunch of teenage Jedi about how not to act. Of course, if they gave lectures on topics like that then the universe would be completely flopped. Calming down, they remained still in their positions for a few moments, content with each other.

"I meant it when I said you need to rest," Ahsoka says, breaking the silence.

"Yeah right," Jarik mutters quietly.

He lays a hand on her left thigh and pushes away some of his sheepish embarrassment, allowing himself to get comfortable. Letting the mental exhaustion from the day reach him, he closes his eyes and slowly drifts off to sleep while Ahsoka continues to stroke a hand through his hair, humming a soft Togrutan lullaby. Leaning her back against the wall she can't help but also slip into slumber, the knowledge that Jarik was safe running through her mind while she gently cradles his head in her lap.

* * *

 _There was darkness around her, and she could hear his yells of pain, the red and blue._

 _"No. No!" she cries out in growing fear._

 _She rushes forwards and tries to stop what would happen, but the tall, dark and terrifying cyborg stabbed a red lightsaber through his chest. He falls to the ground with a painful cry before dying._

 _"NO!" she screams, sobbing._

 _Cold, mechanical breathing continued to filter from the cyborg, while she sobbed over her friend's corpse._

* * *

"NO!" Ahsoka yells, waking up and panting heavily as the fear kept flowing through her.

Her terrified scream and violent jerk had also harshly woken up Jarik, whose head was still nestled in her lap. When she was hyperventilating because of the horribly vivid dream, she had been squeezing her thighs together tightly around his neck, and upon realizing that she was unintentionally choking him she immediately stopped.

"Oh my kriffing Force!" Jarik exclaims in surprise, coughing briefly from when she was strangling his neck. "Ahsoka are you alright?"

Ahsoka quickly pulls her legs away from him to hug them to her chest, and he was up and at her side in an instant, worry completely filling his eyes. She continued to hug herself, feeling extremely vulnerable as she stared forwards with wide eyes.

"I'm so sorry Jarik I- I didn't mean to do that-" she stammers in apology.

"Don't worry about that, it's fine," he quickly reassures her. "Talk to me Ahsoka, what happened?"

"I- it was just a b-bad dream..." she attempts to explain.

"Bantha fodder Soka!" he retorts angrily. "Bad dreams don't make you freak out that bad! Not even from the War!"

The door to their room opens and R5 rolls into the room, beeping rapidly in concern, surveying the two.

"She's fine now," Jarik tells him, before refocusing on Ahsoka. "Ahsoka!"

"Ok!" she shouts, quieting down to a whisper quickly. "Ok... Jarik, you- you were in danger. I- I tried to save you but you... you..."

"What about me?" he asks firmly.

"You were killed!" she says, choking back a sob. "The Sith, he- he killed you..."

Jarik widens his eyes briefly, glancing down in concern and coming to the conclusion that she must've seen, _him_.

"I'm so sorry... I tried to protect you-" she whimpers.

"Is that why you've been acting like a mother-hen to me?" he asks her softly.

She nods her head vigorously. "What if the Sith were- were to come out when you're vulnerable?" she quietly says, fearful.

"Hey, look at me," he replies, grabbing her chin and directing her to face him. "I'm right here. The Sith can't get us here."

Pouring his love and reassurance to her over their bond, Ahsoka's sobs quiet down into smalls sniffles as she focuses on him.

"I'm not going anywhere," he says firmly, smiling at her.

Slowly her fear begins to fade away as she looks back at Jarik, tears coming to her eyes again, but this time they were tears of joy.

"Oh Jarik," she says quietly, throwing her arms around him in a desperate, needing hug. "You're alright? You won't be going anywhere?"

"I won't, I promise you," he replies, gently stroking her lekku.

R5 let out long beep of what sounded like sarcasm and disgust, but both of them knew that he was only joking around, and that he was actually happy for them, glad Ahsoka wasn't freaking out anymore. He then swivels around and rolls out of the room, leaving them to themselves.

While hugging her, Jarik couldn't help but feel sorry for Ahsoka. All of those months after Order 66 living on her own, always wondering what happened to her close friends and if they might be in trouble, must've been really hard on her. All she might have had with her for comfort during that time was their Force bond.

"Y'know, I think I know something that'll cheer you up," he says.

"Like what?"

*:*:*

Getting into battle stances, Jarik and Ahsoka both eye each other with small grins, almost unnoticeable to each other. She was in a Jar'Kai stance, her newly crafted white lightsabers held at the ready while Jarik stood in his usual Makashi pose, crouched slightly, lightsaber at his side.

Grinning, the two then lunge for each other and swing their lightsabers quickly, deflecting and partying each other's attacks.

Unfortunately for Jarik however, Ahsoka swiftly twirls around behind him and then jumps for his head. She twists in the air to wrap her thighs around his neck and then squeezes, yanking him down to the ground with a flip. He grunts in surprise and moves to get up quickly, but Ahsoka was already on top of him, crouching over him to keep him pinned with a white lightsaber at his throat. He stares up at her in bewilderment.

"Where the heck did that come from?" he asks incredulously.

"Well without lightsabers lying around, I just improved my physical combat," she replies with a smirk. "Impressed?"

"Maybe," he replies with a scoff. In a flash he raises his legs into the air to shove her forwards and off of him, then flips to his feet and whips around to face her. "However I'm still the pro here Sweetie Horns."

She rolls her eyes and gives him a feral grin of eagerness, holding up her lightsabers.

"Then show me what you got Little Jari," she challenges.

"Gladly," he replies eagerly.

* * *

 _Yay sweet Jarisoka fluff! Mother-hen Ahsoka is so fun to write, especially with how Jarik grumbles but just takes it anyways haha._

 _And Ahsoka gets some help to push away her fears. I doubt being on your own after something like Order 66 would be easy for anyone, especially when you have no idea what's happened to those you care about._

 _If anyone has one-shot ideas of other characters you'd be interested in seeing, like with Mara or Rylla, or maybe someone from another franchise then leave a review or PM me about it and I'll try and add it in! :D_

 _I say this all the time, but that doesn't make it any less genuine: your support is awesome!_


	8. Living With Family & Friends

**_3rd person POV... (Episode 8)_**

It's been three years since Katooni began her new life living on Alderaan, and even still she wasn't entirely sure what to think. Being thirteen years of age she's still young in appearance, but due to her experiences she's much more mature than most kids her age.

Ever since starting her life in Alderaan, she's lived with the Royal Family as a surrogate daughter, and also as Princess Leila's caretaker and friend. Bail and Breha both approved of the idea, and Katooni herself is perfectly happy and content with it. Still, she can't seem to shake the horrible memories of that fateful day, three years ago...

 _"We can take him!" he declares._

 _He rushes forwards towards the Sith, lightsaber raised determinedly._

 _"Petro!" she exclaim in alarm._

 _"Petro no! Stop!" Jarik cries out._

 _She's forced to watch as Petro is yanked through the air and stabbed by the Sith's blade._

 _"PETRO!" she screams, sobbing._

It still haunts her, even more so than watching the rest of her clan mates and teacher fall at the hands of the clones. If Jarik wasn't there to save them, she would've met the same fate... and unfortunately he couldn't save Petro.

The door to her room opens, and Katooni looks up with a smile upon seeing Leia entering. The Alderaan Princess was one of the greatest things in life that Katooni cared for, and brought her happiness. Even as a three year old toddler, Leia was still very smart for her age, and capable of walking easily without any trouble whatsoever. She looks up at Katooni with a grin, holding up a piece of paper.

"Look at what I drew Katooni!" she says happily.

Katooni takes it and looks at the drawing. Looking past the obvious messiness of a child's drawing, she smiles softly at the sight of her and little Leia standing together, a crudely drawing Alderaan landscape behind them.

"It looks amazing Leia," she praises.

"Thanks! I want to hang it on a wall like the other family pictures!" she replies happily.

"Have you shown your parents?" Katooni asks.

"Not yet. I wanted to show you first," Leia admits shyly.

Katooni's heart melts, and laying the picture on the desk beside her, she reaches down towards Leia.

"Come here little princess!" she says mischievously.

Leia giggles and squeals happily as Katooni picks her up from the floor to set her in her lap, playfully messing with her hair and tickling her. Leia fights back with a few laughs, shoving Katooni to lay down on the bed, and the former Jedi youngling laughs as well.

* * *

Katooni and Leia head towards the dining room, where dinner was about to happen. Bail and Breha were already in there, and looked up at the sight of the young girls entering the room. Leia rushes forwards and holds up her drawing excitedly.

"Mommy, daddy, look what I just drew!" she says.

"Will you look at that," Bail muses.

"It looks wonderful sweetie," Breha replies with a smile.

"Can we hang it up with the other pictures?" she asks hopefully.

"Of course we can Leia," Breha tells her.

"Yay!" she cheers, and the other three in the room all smile at her.

"Well come on, sit," Bail urges. "It's time for dinner."

"Ok!" she replies.

Leia moves forwards and sits in her chair, although she was a little bit short. Katooni moves forwards to compensate by raising the chair's hydraulic a few inches so that it was at a proper level for her, and then sits down beside the princess herself. Bail and Breha both sit at their opposite ends of the table as a couple handmaidens bring out the food.

"Thank you," Bail tells them gratefully once they're finished.

With respectful bows, the handmaidens then leave the room, allowing the family to begin their meal. Katooni bites daintily into her food, while Leia picks at some of her vegetables with a grimace.

"Leia, eat your balks beans. It's good for you," Breha tells her.

"I don't like them," she protests.

"They're healthy, and will hope you grow into a strong woman. Eat up!" Breha urges.

Leia pouts in disagreement, crossing her arms and glaring at the beans, as if they were the cause of all her troubles.

"Leia..." Bail says warningly.

"Do I have to?" she asks.

"Eat them, they're good," Breha says with a nod.

"They're not that bad Leia," Katooni reasons, taking a bean with her fork and chewing on it. "See?"

"Ok..." she says uncertainly.

Leia jabs some of the beans with her fork and brings them to her mouth, biting them off. She chews slowly, making a couple of face before swallowing the beans. She doesn't say much, but then continues to eat some more, much to the parents relief.

"So, how was your day today girls?" Bail asks.

"It was ok," Leia answers. "Mrs. Dolan taught us about shapes."

"Oh really? What kinds of shapes?" he questions.

"We learned about triangles, squares, circles, and even a trapezoid!" she says. "My favorite is the circle."

"Well that's wonderful sweetie," Breha says with a smile. "What about you Katooni? How was your day?"

"It was alright," she shrugs in response. "Nothing much to say. Regular school is weird though compared to my Jedi lessons."

"I can imagine so," Bail replies with a nod.

"All the kids are so... roudy," she states with a disapproving frown.

"What was it when you were growing up?" Leia asks her curiously.

"A lot more quiet, that's for sure," Katooni says.

A knock on the door is then heard, and one of the handmaidens pokes her head into the room.

"Excuse me sir, but you have a visitor," she says uneasily.

"Who is it?" Bail questions.

The handmaiden steps inside and shuffled back a few steps, head bowed as an Imperial Officer steps through the door, flanked by a pair of stormtroopers. Bail, Breha and Katooni all freeze up in alarm, and Leia looks at the Imperial's nervously, glancing between them and her parents.

"Senator Organa, I'm Lieutenant Jaber from the Imperial Security Bureau," the Officer states.

"Lieutenant Jaber," Bail greets with a hard expression, his face neutral. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I just have a few questions for you, in order to set aside any concerns the Empire may have related to your, 'relief groups,'" he says.

Bail looks at him warily for a few moments and then sighs, nodding his head. "Very well. Breha, you and the kids head to the living room."

"Actually, the rest of your family may stay here," the ISB agent interrupts.

"Why?" Bail demands. "I thought your questions were for me."

"It's just a protocol, so that we may have witnesses to attest to whatever happens here today Senator," he states impassively.

Katooni eyes the agent warily, feeling nervous about the situation, worried that the secret of them supporting the rebel groups has been discovered. Bail has a heavy frown on his face in annoyance and disapproval, but relents.

"Fine. Ask away agent."

"We are well aware of your relief effort groups for supporting others who are, 'in need of help.' Yet very often much of your supplies turn up in the hands of criminals," Jaber states.

"Are you suggesting that my husband is delivering our supplies to criminals?" Breha demands heatedly.

It is true of course, but the Empire can't be allowed to know that. Which is why this is so nerveracking.

"No, but your shipments quite often do end up in the hands of dangerous rebels," he replies.

"Such as?" Bail asks.

"There are a few, but known associates do include Jarik Shan, a Jedi," Jaber reveals.

Katooni glances briefly at Leia and Breha, lowering her head for a moment before trying to wipe the nervousness from her face. The mention of Jarik brings up memories.

"I see," Bail says slowly with a nod. "Then this is a problem I must look into."

"The bigger question is how was that allowed in the first place Senator?" Jaber questions.

"My mission with the relief effort ships is to distribute aid, not head into a war zone," he retorts. "Which is why my ships are not very armed."

"Then I would suggest improving the security of your ships Senator," he replies firmly. "The Empire won't tolerate sloppy behavior that allows our enemies to gain strength."

"I assure you, helping criminals of the Empire is not our intention," Bail says.

"Then you must work to assure the Emperor that is the case," Jaber states, raising an eyebrow at him. "We wouldn't want him to intervene with your, 'relief efforts,' would we?"

"No, we would not," Bail growls through his teeth.

Lieutenant Jaber then nods in satisfaction. "Very well then. Good day Senator Organa."

The ISB agent turns to the door and leaves with his two stormtroopers, closing the door behind them. Once the Imperial's leave, Bail lets out a heavy sigh, and Breha looks at him in concern.

"Are you alright honey?" she asks.

"I'm fine," he reassures her. "It's just very difficult."

"Why do they have to be so mean to people?" Leia asks sadly. "It's not fair that they get to bully you!"

"I feel the same way love," Bail replies. "Unfortunately, the Emperor is not the nicest of men, and far to often the officers focus more on themselves then on the people."

"That's not right. Leaders should help people, not bully them," Leia says with a frown.

"Sadly that's the way things are. But we're hoping we can change that soon sweetie," Breha reassures her.

"When I grow up, I want to help people just fluke you daddy!" she declares.

"I'm sure you will," Bail says with a smile. "You are a very sweet girl."

"And Katooni will be with me to, right?" Leia asks hopefully, looking up at her with wide eyes.

"Where else would I be?" she replies jokingly.

All of them laugh with each other, feeling a little better now after the questioning from the Imperial officers. Still, Katooni feels some sense of worry, and now more of it is for Leia. She has no doubt that Leia will grow up to help people, maybe even participate in the Rebellion when the time comes.

And when that happens, Katooni vows to herself that she will protect her, keep her happiness and innocence for as long as possible. She was robbed of such things, and she refuses to let it happen to Leia. Maybe being a future handmaiden for the princess would help out...


End file.
